Why in the News?

• Recently, the 300-year-old stone art of the Gaya district of Bihar has been granted GI tag.

Key Points:

About Stone Art:

=> Patharkatti village of Neemchak Bathani block of Gaya district of Bihar is famous for stone art.

=> In stone art, apart from the statues of Lord Buddha and Mahavira, statues of various art works are also made.

Global Recognition:

=> There are more than 650 artisans associated with stone art in Patharkatti village of Gaya district.

=> By getting the GI tag, not only these artisans but also the sculpture will get a new identity abroad.

=> This will also increase their income.

History:

=> It is believed that Queen Ahilyabai Holkar named this village Pattharkatti.

=> It was here that the craftsmen discovered a hill of black granite stones.

=> The Vishnupad temple was built from the black granite stones of Patharkatti.

Other GI tagged products from Bihar:

=> Bihar's Jardalu mango, Shahi litchi, Karatani rice, Magahi paan and Madhubani painting have also received the GI tag.

GI Tag:

• The full form of GI tag is Geographical Indication , which is called geographical indicator in Hindi.
• This tag is given to those products whose uniqueness, quality or reputation is associated with a particular geographical area.
• By getting the GI tag, the product gets recognition at national and international level.
• At the international level, GIs are regulated under  the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) .
• At the national level, this work is done under the Geographical Indications of goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 , which came into force from September 2003.
• ' Darjeeling Tea' is the first Indian product to receive the GI tag  in the year 2004 .
• Registration of Geographical Indication is valid for 10 years.